Means for supporting shafting



' 1,512,872 B. R. ADKINS ET AL v MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SHAFTING Filed Nov. 5. 19 2s 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 wws'niroza 'Oct. 21- 1924.

B. R. ADKINS ET AL MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SHAFTING Filed NOV. 5 1923 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 7 IIVVE/VTOR B. R. ADKINS ET AL MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SHAFTING Filed Nov. 5, 192-3 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 pwmrok B. R. ADKINS ET AL MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SHAFTING fist. 2 1 1924.

Filed Nov- 5; 1923 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Oct. 21, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN RATC LIFFE ADKINS, F UPPER EVARLINGHAM, AND WILLIAM YORATH LEWIS, O'F SOUTHEND-ON-SEA, ENGLAND.

MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SHAFTING.

Application filed November 5, 1923. Serial No; 672,979.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, BENJAMIN RAT- cum n ADKINS and WILLIAM YORATH Lnwrs, both subjects of the King of England, and

residing, respectively, at Upper Warlingham, Surrey, in England, and Southend-on- Sea, Essex, in England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Supporting Shafting, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for supporting shafting and is more especially applicable to a bearing support for the adjacent ends of sections of the shafting of a conveying apparatus. To save expense it is desirable to keep the supporting bearings as far apart as is practicable, and the main object of the present invention is to provide a bearing support of such construction as to facilitate the erection and handling of the shafting and to avoid severe strains on the shafting and its bearings caused for instance by the sagging of the shafting between its supports.

According to the present invention a stub shaft supported in suitable bearings is connected to the main shafting by means of a flexible diaphragm. When two adjacent ends of sections of the shafting are to be supported, a flexible diaphragm may be employed to connect one or both of the sections to a stub shaft supported in bearings which are preferably of the self aligning type. Such an arrangement makes allowance for changes or inaccuracies in the alignment of the shafting, and prevents the shafting or its bearings from being subjected to excessive strains from any cause.

It may be necessary in some cases to arrange th supporting means in such a manner as to allow for the longitudinal expansion of the shafting. This may conveniently be effected by surrounding one end of the stub shaft by a sleeve which is connected to the main shafting by means of the flexible diaphragm the stub shaft and the sleeve being connected together by means of a key and keyway so that the main shafting and the stub shaft will rotate in synchronism with one another but will be free of the rail track or to move longitudinally relative to one another.

The invention is mo-re especially applicable to conveying apparatus in which cars or other bodies are impelled along a track by means of a continuously rotating screw thread, and may be employed to provide a bearing support for the adjacent ends of sections of'the shafting on which the screw thread is carried. When the rail track is Straight and it is only necessary to allow for the sagging of the shafting between its bearing supports and for inaccuracies in laying, it will generally be suflicient to connect'the stub shaft rigidly to one section of shafting and to provide a flexible diaphragm for the connection to the other section, self-aligning bearings being employed for the stub shaft.

W hen, however, the two sections of shafting are out of alignment owing to curving a change in gradient, it is necessary to provide means whereby the rotation of one section of shafting may be synchronously transmitted to the other section. This may conveniently be effected by providing two stub shafts. each of which is connected by means of a flexible diaphragm to one of the sections of the main shafting, these stub shafts being mounted in suitable bearings and connected together by means of bevel or other gearing.

The invention may be carried into practice in various ways, but the accompanying drawings illustrate by way of example two preferred constructions in which the invention is applied to screw conveying apparatus. In these drawings- Figures 1, 2 and 3 show a construction for use when the twosections of shafting carrying the screw thread are in line with one another, these figures respectively being a vertical section through the axis of the shafting, a transverse section and a plan, and

Figure 4 shows in horizontal section another construction applied to the case when the track is curved so that the two sections of shafting are not in alignment with one another.

having a central opening,

In the construction shown in Figures 13, the screw thread A is carried by means of posts A Or the like on tubular shafting, the adjacent ends of two sections B and C of this shafting being shown in the drawings. The end of one sectionB of the shafting is closed by means of an end plug D in which is disposed one end of a sleeveE held to the end plug D by means of a key pin E. The other end of the sleeve E is screwthreaded on its inner surface for the reception of a stub shaft J, a tapered pin K being provided to secure the stub shaft to the sleeve E when it has been screwed into position therein; This ,stub shaft. J is mounted in bearings F of the self-aligning type. The casingcontaining these bearings is divided into two parts, the upper part G being detachably" secured by means of bolts G to the lower part G which is formed integral wi 11 the bearing pedestal This pedestal H is .provided with curved slots, or

grooves ;H H through which the overlapping ends of the screw thread A pass as they rotate. The stub .shaft J carries at its further end a boss L which is connected bymeans of diaphragm M to an end plugN in the other section C of the main shafting. The diaphragm M is secured to the end plug N by means of a ring 0 provided with webs O which extend near to the boss L so as to limit relative transverse motion between .the stub shaft J and the end plug N. Ribs N, are also provided on theend plug N in aposition adjacent to shoulders L on the boss L, these ribs N serving to limit relative. longitudinal mot on betweenthe stub shaft J and the end plug N. The ribs N and the webs O thus serve to prevent excessive strains from being put on the diaphragm M, for example when handling or laying sections of the main shaft-ing. To allow for the expan sion and contraction of the shafting, without straining the diaphragrnspit. may be necessary .to provide means. whereby the shafting can. freely move longitudinally relative to th 'stub shaft.- This may be effected in a simple manner; as shown, by providing a keyway in the boss L...in which a .key J mounted onthe shaft J engages. This arrangement permits the necessary l ongitudinal movement but does not allow any relative rotational movement. Alternatively this longitudinal movement may be provided for by corrugating the diaphragm concentrically or' in certain instances the plain diaphragm without corrugations may be. suflicient to give all the necessary longitudinalmovem ent caused by the expansion and contraction of the shafting, andin this case the provision of a key and. l reyway or like device becomes unnecessary.

one section upper part and E are removed. The sleeve E is then unscrewed" from the stub shaft J until it is clear of the end of the shaft. A similar operation is carried out at the other end ofthe section concerned," which is then free to be lifted out.

in the case when the two sections of the shaftin i are out of alignment, for instance when the track is curving or the gradient is changing, a modified construction will generally be required.

Such a construction is illustrated in Figure for the case when the track is curving. lar construction may be employed for a change of gradient, the sole difference lying in the angular position of the other parts of the device relative to the bearing pedestal. ends of the two sections P P of the shafting are each closed by an end plug Q, to which a: diaphragm R is secured by means of a ring S, the other end of the diaphragm It will be understood that a. simi In this construction the adjacent being fixed to a boss R. As in the previous construction the rang S carries a web 8' extending near the boss R and the end plug Q is provided with ribs Q, to prevent excessive movements which would injure the diaphragm. \Vithineach boss R is mounteda stub shaft T; The two stub shafts are similar to one another, eXcepttha-t one of them is connected to its boss R by means of a key T and a keyway whilst the other connection is formed by a pin T since it bevel wheels U engage with one another.

The bearings V V, the stub shaft T and the bevel wheel Uare held in the casing X by means of a small ring X in suclra position that the teeth of the bevel wheels are in engagementwith one another. -The casing X is divided into two parts bolted together, the upper part not belng shown in the drawing since it lies -wholly above the plane of the section. The lower part is formed integral with the bearing pedestal Y which is similar to that shown in Figures 1-3.

V The provision of a diaphragm at the end of each section of the mainshafting is necessary in order to take up the strainof any vmalalignment between a section and its stub shaft and also to take up the strain which would otherwise be imparted to the stub ing between supports. By this means the two stub shafts may be. firmly'held within the compound hearings to keep the teeth of the bevel wheels properly in mesh without any overstra-ining of the parts.

To remove either of the sections P or P of the sli'afting, the upper part of the bearing casing X is removed, and the two rings X are lifted out of position. The stub shafts T, the bearings V V and the bevel wheels U can then be moved longitudinally until the ends of the stub shafts come up against the end plugs Q. This movement is suflicient to bring the teeth of the bevel wheels U out of engagement with one another, and when a similar operation has been carried out at the other end of either of the sections P or P, that section of shafting can be lifted out. In the event, however, of the other end of the section P or P, which it is required to remove, being carried in a bearing of the type illustrated in Figures l-3, it will of course be necessary to release it by unscrewing the sleeve E in the manner previously described.

It will be understood that the particular constructions have been described by Way of example only and that the details of the invention may be modified in various ways to suit requirements without departing from the scope of the invention.

What we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In means for supporting shafting, the combination of a length of the shafting, a stub shaft, bearings in which the stub shaft is supported, and a flexible diaphragm by means of which the stub shaft is connected to the main shafting as set forth.

2. In means for supporting shafting, the combination of two adjacent sections of shafting, a stub shaft, bearings in which the stub shaft is supported, a flexible diaphragm by means of which the stub shaft is connected to one section of the main shafting, and means whereby the stub shaft is connected to the other section of the shafting as set forth.

In means for supporting shafting, the combination of a length of the shafting, a stub shaft, bearings in which the stub shaft is supported, a sleeve surrounding the stub shaft, a flexible diaphragm by means of which the sleeve is connected to the main shafting and means whereby the sleeve and the stub shaft are connected together so that there can be no relative rotation between them as set forth.

4. In means for supporting shafting, the combination of two adjacent sections of shafting, a stub shaft, bearings in which the stub shaft is supported, a sleeve surrounding part of the stub shaft, a flexible diaphragm'by means of which the sleeve is connected to one section of the main shafting. a keyed connection between the sleeve and the stub shaft, and means whereby the stub shaft is connected to the other section of the main shafting as set forth.

In means for supporting shafting, the combination of two adjacent sections of the shafting, two stub shafts, bearings in which the stub shafts are supported, two flexible diaphragms by means of which the two stub shafts are respectively connected to the two sections of the main shafting, and means for connecting the two stub shafts together as set forth.

6. In means for supporting shafting, the combination of two adjacent sections of the main shafting the axes of which are out of alignment with one another, two stub shafts, bearings in which the stub shafts are supported, a sleeve surrounding each stub shaft, two flexible diaphragms by means of which the two sleeves are respectively connected to the two sections of the main shafting, means whereby each sleeve is connected to its stub shaft so as to rotate therewith, and bevel gearing by means of which the stub shafts are connected together as set forth.

7. In conveying apparatus of the type in which bodies are impelled along a track by means of a continuously rotating screwthread, the combination of the screwthread, two adjacent sections of shafting on which the screwthread is carried, a stub shaft, bearings in which the stub shaft is supported, a flexible diaphragm by means of which the stub shaft is connected to one section of the shafting, and means whereby the stub shaft is connected to the other section of the shafting such that the two sections of shafting will rotate in exact synchronism with one another as set forth.

8. In conveying apparatus of the type in which bodies are impelled along a track by means of a continuously rotating screwthread. the combination of the screwthread, two adjacent sections of shafting on which the screwthread is carried, two stub shafts, hearings in which the stub shafts are supported, two flexible diaphragms by means of which the two stub shafts are respectively connected to the two sections of the main shafting, and means for connecting the two stub shafts together as set forth.

9. In conveying apparatus of the type in which bodies are impelled along a track by means of a continuously rotating screwthread, the combination of the screwthread, two adjacent sections of shafting on which the screwthread is carried the axes of the two sections being out of alignment with oneanother, two stub shafts, hearings in which the stub shafts are supported, a sleeve s'iirrounding each stub shaft, two "flexible diaphrag'rns"-by-n1eans'of which the two sleeves a/re respectively'connected to the two sections of-the main shafting, a keyed c0n-' nection between one sleeve and itsstub shaft a rigid connection between the other sleeve and its'stubshafhmnd abevel'wheel mounted bn the-end of each stub shaft in such a 'manner fihatthe teeth of the two cause-the two Sections "of thefmaiII' ShELfting to rotate in. exact syn'chronism" with 7' One m dther as setrforth.

lii'testimo liy whereof- We have signed-bun names to this specification.

BENJAMEN RATOLIFEEEADKIN S.

WILLIAM' YORATH DEWIS.

bevel "wheelsrenge'ge with bne ainotherzza'nd 10 

